Foreign language requirement may not be mandatory for students with learning disability

By Kevin Schumacher

Students who are enrolled in the KOKUA Program, the disabilities center on campus, may be eligible to forgo the language requirement and take cultural classes instead.

Ann Ito, director of the KOKUA Program, said, "The biggest reason (students with learning disabilities) come in here is because the foreign language requirement."

Ito and the university agreed that people with learning disabilities were having a harder time with such courses. Ito said students had high marks in all other classes, yet they were getting low marks in language courses. Students who meet certain requirements may replace required language courses with culture classes.

What can be substituted

Ito added that while the substitute classes are designed to fulfill the language requirement, giving students an equal learning experience is the priority. Most of the available alternate classes are at the 300 and 400 level. So, those believing this will get them out of school work would be greatly mistaken. Ito said that the exchange is to help level the playing field.

The substitution can be up to a full set of classes from a foreign culture. Art, history, literature, film and current issues are some of the classes available for exchange. The replacement courses, however, go only one way. For example, a student cannot take new cultural classes to replace old language grades. Even so, an eligible student can switch to cultural classes to finish the remaining curriculum, with each cultural class counting as one language course. In addition, the only required courses UH offers substitutes for is within the language requirement.

Number of Students with learning difficulties increasing

While exact figures differ, studies indicate that the number of people attending college with a learning disability is increasing. Ito said that KOKUA serves around 700 students a year. "The vast majority of students whom we are serving have learning disabilities and/or attention deficit disorder," she said.

The KOKUA program was designed to accommodate this population. The Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 defines a disability as "a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of such individual."

The law also describes what services should be offered to students with disabilities.

Ito said students should not to be afraid of revealing their disability. It has nothing to do with intelligence, Ito added. "Protecting, nurturing the dignity, the self respect of students is very, very important," she said.

As soon as a student sees that a language course is hurting their otherwise decent GPA, Ito said they should at least make an appointment with KOKUA.

KOKUA also has testing facilities for students who feel overwhelmed in exam settings; they can take a test in a less pressured environment. Ito said that depending on disability and need, a student may be granted up to double the normal class time to take a test.

"Anyone who is here has been admitted by the merit of his/her record," Ito said. "There are no brownie points for disability. So, we're assuming that all of the students here deserve to be respected, whether they're disabled or able bodied."

Here's how KOKUA works:

A student must visit the KOKUA office and learn of options available. The student must also declare a major and get documented proof of their disability (KOKUA does not provide services for either of these.) Next, the student should return to KOKUA with the necessary paperwork and a written request for substitution to the dean of their school. Then a student may be eligible, with the dean's and Ito's approval, to forgo the normal language courses. Ito said that the process can take a month or so.